Computer security firms are bracing themselves as the moment approaches when the Nyxem virus will strike. On 3 February the bug will start erasing Word documents, spreadsheets and other common files on infected PCs. Compromised machines will also be used as launch platforms to help the virus seek out fresh victims. Because the virus is known to be lurking on more than 300,000 PCs, this scanning could generate large amounts of net traffic as it activates. The Nyxem-E virus first emerged on 16 January and since then has steadily been racking up victims. A website associated with the virus has been keeping count of the machines it has managed to infect and now this counter stands at more than 300,000 victims. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

Scientists have used genetic modification in an early step towards creating a pandemic flu vaccine. The US Centers for Disease Control created the vaccine by putting a gene from a strain of the deadly H5N1 type of bird flu into a cold virus. This was then developed in cell cultures, rather than hens' eggs used in conventional vaccine development. Experts said the Lancet paper was technically interesting, but not immediately useful. The growing incidence of cases of H5N1 in humans is hastening scientists' search for a vaccine which would be effective in a flu pandemic. The problem is that it would not be the existing strain of the virus being seen in birds which would cause that pandemic. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4671634.stm

Austria's government said Thursday it cannot afford to buy back five Gustav Klimt paintings that a court has ordered returned to a California woman who says the Nazis stole them from her family. Culture Minister Elisabeth Gehrer said the state desperately wanted to acquire the masterpieces — widely regarded as national treasures — but decided it could not afford the $300 million pricetag. Last month, an arbitration court awarded the paintings to Maria Altmann of Los Angeles. "The paintings are immediately available for her to inherit," Gehrer said in a statement. She said the government's Council of Ministers could not find the cash in its budget to keep the paintings in Austria. Gehrer said the government would inform Altmann's attorneys that it has no more interest in negotiating a purchase. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/02/world/main1272008.shtml?CMP=OTC-RSSFeed&source=RSS&attr=World_1272008

Members of the Army National Guard will be spending less time on the front lines in Iraq and more time in their off-duty jobs at home in coming years, according the Army's top two generals.After a tough year in Iraq, where they provided nearly half the fighting force, the citizen soldiers will play a much smaller combat role for the remainder of the war, the officers said in interviews with The Associated Press.The changes come as part of a reorganization proposal that includes a shift in some brigades from combat roles to support units. In addition, President Bush will propose shrinking the authorized size of the Guard and the Army Reserve — proposals that have triggered concern on Capitol Hill. ...http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-02-02-guard-iraq_x.htm?csp=34

Armed militants angered by a cartoon drawing of the Prophet Mohammed published in European media surrounded EU offices in Gaza Thursday and threatened to kidnap foreigners as outrage over the caricatures spread across the Islamic world. Foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers began leaving Gaza as gunmen there threatened to kidnap citizens of France, Norway, Denmark and Germany unless those governments apologize for the cartoon. In Paris, the daily newspaper France Soir fired its managing editor after it republished the caricatures Wednesday, and Pakistani protesters chanting "Death to France!" Gunmen in the West Bank city of Nablus entered four hotels to search for foreigners to abduct, and they warned hotel owners not to host citizens from several European countries. Gunmen said they were also searching apartments in Nablus for Europeans. ...http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-02-02-cartoonuproar_x.htm?csp=34

It's one of the sleazier sides of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but it's also one of the biggest draws: "booth babes." Booth babes are the beautiful and leggy models and actresses hired to wear not much at all to attract drooling gamers to a company's booth. But after a year that saw the video-game industry under fire from a number of directions, the Entertainment Software Association — the group that holds E3 — has announced that it will be more strictly enforcing the rules on what spokeswomen can wear to the trade show. "I wouldn't say it's totally unique to this industry, I think a lot of conferences employ attractive women to hock wares," Greg Kasavin said. "I guess where the ESA is drawing a line is that they're trying to put a definition to what constitutes scantily clad and what's borderline offensive." Kasavin is the editor in chief of the popular video-game Web site, Gamespot.com. ...http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1558683&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312